Travelling Simply

Travel recommendations, ideas and observations from two simple travellers

Author: Smita (Page 13 of 17)

See the hidden treasures just outside of Rome

25/10/2018 / / 3 Comments

It was another bright, sunny day as we drove up to Hadrian’s Villa (Villa Adriana) just outside of Tivoli. We had spent a couple of weeks walking the tracks between the villages in the Cinque Terre, wandering the streets of Florence and Sienna, and roaming the Tuscan countryside. The drive, surrounded by endless fields of sunflowers through Umbria and into Lazio was beautiful, and Tivoli was our final stop before reaching Rome.

With parking restricted at the entrance, we parked in a neighbouring suburban street, found a little café for lunch in preparation for an afternoon wandering through the ruins of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

We were delighted to find there were no queues at the entrance. And, upon entering, only a few people inside the complex.

Hadrian’s Villa is a large complex of buildings, gardens, pools and fountains, dating back to 118AD. Emperor Hadrian built this rural retreat as his summer getaway from Rome and today, much of the site remains unexcavated. The unearthed ruins though, leave it to the imagination about how spectacular buildings and grounds of this original Villa were!

Entranced by the beauty of the Villa, we hadn’t noticed the dark clouds gather. Suddenly there’s a feeling of eeriness around us. Thunder starts to rumble and flashes of lightning rapidly crack across the sky. With more to see, we don’t let this deter us and carry on admiring willing the skies to clear – we still have much more to see.

The Gods take pity and it is not until we reach the Museum that it starts to pour with rain. The model recreation indoors gives us an insight into Emperor Hadrian’s appreciation of architectural styles and how beautiful the Villa originally was.

It was time to leave and with no sign of the heavy rain subsiding, the decision was made. He gallantly sprinted to find our car while I took cover.

And, so it was that we continued our short drive into Tivoli to find our little B&B in the small piazza just outside the amazing Villa D’Este. We will have a couple of hours to explore the famous gardens before dark.

With light rain still falling by the time we unpack and settle, we decide that a tour of the Villa apartments would be best before exploring the gardens. We are not disappointed, the apartments reveal stunning frescoes and stairways with glimpses over the gardens and beyond through the windows. This villa was the home of the very wealthy Cardinal Ippolito d’Este.

The grand finale is the amazing gardens, fountains and waterfalls – indescribable. The opulence of times past is difficult to understand these days, however, we are grateful that the Villa has been well preserved for us to enjoy and imagine times past.

Hadrian’s Villa is located outside of Tivoli and while we travelled by car, we understand there is a bus service from Tivoli which delivers you very close to the entrance (pop into the Tourist Office om Piazza Garibaldi for details).

Just over 20km from Rome, Tivoli can be explored on a day trip. However, we recommend that you stay at least one night in this small town to be able to explore the main attractions at a leisurely pace. Or, stay longer to use the town as a base as you explore the region of Lazio. Either way, do not miss the opportunity to go off the tourist track and pay a visit.

P.S. If you decide to stay in Tivoli, we can recommend staying at the lovely B&B Villa D’Este situated right next to the Villa D’Este. Our host, Fabio was very polite and accommodating providing us with a delicious homemade breakfast on the rooftop terrace. Make sure you request a room overlooking the piazza. They also provide complimentary parking in a car park close by. There are plenty of unique restaurants and cafes close by.

Why you will love travelling in Europe in the summer if you enjoy music and culture!

25/09/2018 / / 1 Comment

Truly getting to know a new country includes meeting new people, sampling new food, visiting the sights and treasures unique and dear to that country and immersing ourselves in their art and culture.

  • Big Band in Plaza Mayor, Madrid
    An evening at a Big Band performance in Madrid’s main square

In a tour group, the itinerary is sure to include pre-organised events to showcase the country’s uniqueness – a traditional performance over a meal of local dishes, a private concert in a castle for your group, or a guided visit to the theatre or art gallery. We’ve attended and enjoyed many during our travels.

We prefer to travel independently these days,  by-pass the ticket vendors selling tickets to the opera or a music show, and instead join the locals in their town’s piazzas, plazas and placas or sit in on a classical concert in a historic building where we can just wander in to take a seat.

 A European Town square is a centre for gathering – a place to meet, eat, drink and enjoy entertainment. In winter, some will transform into mesmerising night markets but it is in summer where these town squares are the most vibrant.

  • Medieval parade in Arezzo
    Medieval parade in Arezzo, Italy
  • Human towers
    Sunday afternoon entertainment in Barcelona

Preferring to travel to Europe during their summer, we have had the opportunity to enjoy this vibrancy. In almost every major town or city, stages will appear and buskers will hold their position around town squares.

Performances are varied, but all are professional and first class in quality. Anyone can attend, entrance is free, there are no queues, and you don’t have to dress up! Often, a number of these performances are on at the same time and you can wander between them.

We’ve stumbled unexpectedly across many a performance:

  1. On an evening stroll in Madrid, we came across a Big Band concert in Plaza Mayor and were entertained for almost two hours.
  2. On an afternoon walk down La Ramblas in Barcelona, we veered into a square and into the middle of a human tower competition.
  3. Instead of joining the others in the tourist hub of Monastiraki in Athens, we joined locals at an outdoor music concert featuring traditional Greek music and performances.
  4. As tourists queued to enter the opera in Vienna, we walked across the road to join the large crowd at the annual film festival in front of the Town Hall.
  5. Enjoyed a professional fashion show in the enchanting hilltop town of Paola on our drive back to Rome from Sicily.
  6. On the Old City walls of Treviso, we enjoyed two nights of incredible entertainment, Nina Zilli who represented Italy in the 2012 Eurovision performed one night and the Beuna Vista Social Club performed on the next evening. The atmosphere was electric!
  7. Wandering along 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, we stopped to listen to three brothers showcasing their music right at the end of the street. They are outstanding musicians who tour the US performing at schools and small venues and enjoy busking so much that their mother drives them the one hour to come down to Santa Monica every Saturday and then waits to take them home again.
  8. Staying a few days in the Tuscan town of Arezzo, we enjoyed the annual jousting competition held every night complete with a medieval parade through the streets of the town.
  9. In Seville, we wandered into an outdoor courtyard in a small Palais to join a small audience and listened to a spectacular classical piano concert.
  10. Recently, in Prague all the seats were taken by the time we arrived in Old Town Square, so we joined locals and other travellers like ourselves to sit on the kerbside to enjoy an evening of jazz.

A recommendation, next time you are travelling in Europe during the summer, take a peek in the town square or if like us, you decide on using apartment accommodation, ask your host.

  • Summer Festival in Treviso
    Beuna Vista Social Club playing at the Summer Festival in Treviso, Italy

    On the way to the cemetery…

    26/08/2018 / / 1 Comment

    One of the things we love about travelling simply is meeting the people of the countries we visit. Travelling independently provides numerous opportunities to converse with locals, hear about their lives, their story, learn something new about their country and practice speaking their language.

    An added benefit is arranging your own travel itinerary. We like to detour from mainstream tourist attractions to find our own small attractions and make the visit more memorable.

    • tiber river

    We had taken a morning walk along the Tiber River in Rome, through the Rose Garden to take a peep through the keyhole on the Aventine Hill and decided to continue on to the Protestant Cemetery which is only a few kilometres from the Colosseum. We had found our way there on a previous visit and were keen to go back to the graveyard.

    Wandering down the Hill, dazzled by the magnificent view through the keyhole (it was a clear, sunny morning and the view was magnificent), we became disorientated and wondered if we were going the right way. We are old hands in Rome and had come out without our map!

    It is early and the streets are deserted. We stand at the fork of the road pondering on whether we need to turn left or right when we spot a man leisurely strolling down the hill puffing on his pipe, a beautiful golden retriever in tow.

    We approach. He looks at us amusingly as we try our hand at asking him in Italian if we are going the right way. He stuns us with his reply. Not only is it in perfect English, but it is his accent which raises our curiosity!

    None of us are in a hurry. We stand on the street corner as he takes pleasure in telling the story of his life. It is not extraordinary, an Italian, now retired who studied, lived and work in our home town, has children who live in our country which he visits every year but loves the life in Italy. It turns out that we have more in common than we thought.

    Half an hour later he walks down the hill with us, tells us we are heading in the right direction as we part ways. The cemetery is less than five minutes away.

    We spend an hour meandering through the cemetery stopping at the gravestones to read and reflect on the lives of the non-Catholic who lived and died here. The cemetery was established in the early 1700’s so there is a lot of history here on the life of the expatriate community in Italy. We only walk through a small section to ensure we come back again on a future visit.

    Our visit is not complete without visiting a special part of the cemetery set a little aside in a tranquil garden, the final resting places of the British poets Keats and Shelley.

    A lovely morning spent away from the chaos of Rome making new memories with a stranger.

    • keats tombstone
      Tombstone of John Keats

    Footnote: You’ll find the Protestant Cemetery next to the Pyramid of Caius Cestius. The entrance is tucked away on Via Caio Cestio. Entrance is free, however, donations for the upkeep of the cemetery are accepted through a donation box at the entrance.

    How to see more of Paris for free

    14/07/2018 / / 3 Comments

    Pascal joined us at our pre-arranged meeting place right on time.

    We had arrived a little earlier which gave us time to relax on the steps of the Pantheon before meeting Pascal in the lobby of City Hall. It gave us time to catch our breath after arriving in Paris earlier in the morning.

    Unable to check into our accommodation until later in the day, we had decided to make the most of the time in the city by seeing part of the city through the eyes of a local Greeter.

    Pascal had a wonderful afternoon of sightseeing arranged for us. There was no sign of the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame in sight. Instead, we padded along the backstreets of the 5th District and Sorbonne, ducking into gateways and courtyards to have a look at the real life of Paris. Pascal led us off the beaten path into the spectacular buildings such as an abbey with its breathtaking interior which is now a school. How fortunate and inspiring for the lucky scholars who have the privilege to learn in this environment!

    • school in paris
      The beautiful school courtyard

    We converse as we walk. Pascal provides enough historical background to encourage questions. He is knowledgeable and keeps us interested. We share tidbits of our lives with each other.

    Pascal had put thought into planning our afternoon. It was tailormade for us.

    The finale for the day reminded us of how much time Pascal had taken to make our Greeter tour unique. In earlier correspondence, he had questioned our interests and tactfully asked about our work and I had mentioned that He worked in the legal field.

    It was getting late as Pascal hurried us through the gates of the courthouse, through security to wander through the corridors and halls of this amazing building.

    • corridors of paris courthouse
      The corridors of the courthouse

    Leading us up the rather grand staircase to the first floor we steal quietly into a courtroom session.

    There is more. We follow Pascal up another flight of stairs arriving at the rooms of the Law Society. These rooms are not open to the public, however, Pascal explains that He has an interest in the law and the office staff happily oblige and show us around.

    The highlight, entering the Grand Office of the President! Such grandeur and history. It was an unexpected treat.

    • law-society
      The boardroom of the Law Society

    And so, it is a tired and weary but extremely happy couple of simple travellers who thank Pascal. He reluctantly accepts our gift as a token of our appreciation for his time and thoughtfulness. He reminds us that he is going away for a couple of weeks and will be back in Paris well before we arrive back in Paris after our driving holiday. There is so much more to see! And, that doesn’t include the popular tourist attractions!

    • arches

    Global Greeters – see a city with a local!

    24/06/2018 / / 5 Comments

    Interested in seeing more than the tourist highlights of a city, then see it with a local “Greeter”.

    Greeters are, more often than not, local citizens who have lived in their city for a while, and some even their whole lives. They know every nook and cranny of their city, especially unique places and hidden gems of which tourists are unaware. You won’t be sharing space with the crowds!

    We have had the pleasure of “Greeters” showing us part of their city in New York, London, France, Munich and Vienna to date. It’s an opportunity to meet and converse with friendly people, to learn about life in the city from a local perspective and hear about why they love living in their city. They have been enriching and pleasurable experiences. We always try to plan one or two during our travels if they are available.

    The Greeter system is free. You do not pay a Greeter. Greeters volunteer their time at no charge because they are passionate about sharing their city with the rest of the world. Greeters will guide a group of up to six people.

    We have been lucky to have been sole clients on our Greeter tours to date. Our enthusiastic guides have gone beyond the call of duty and created bespoke walking tours based on our interests.

    Want to know more about our Greeter experience? Feel free to send us your question/s here.

    If you’d like to find a book your own Greeter experience, have a look, visit the Global Greeter Network website.

    « Older posts Newer posts »

    © 2025 Travelling Simply

    Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑